Economic Censorship

April 2010. The World is still reeling from the effects of the global financial crisis. Growth has stalled, banks have collapsed, and Greece has just requested a multi-billion euro bailout from the Eurozone.

Over the course of four online blogs in 2010, respected economists Dr Peter Boone and Professor Simon Johnson suggested that Portugal was on the same path as Greece. They predicted that the necessary spending cuts would not be made, government debt would increase and the country would eventually seek a bailout from the rest of Europe. Within twelve months their predictions came to pass: adequate cuts were not made, the debt rose, and in 2011 Portugal received a handout of €78 billion. But this forecast was not what some in the then Portuguese government wished to hear. There followed a five year investigation into Dr Boone, resulting in 2016 in his prosecution. At its heart this case represents a dangerous attempt to curtail the freedom of the press and suppress academic dissent.

Portugal's prosecution of Dr Boone is a politically motivated attempt to curtail the freedom of the press, suppress academic debate and censor the revelation of economic reality where it does not match economic policy. ​Read a more detailed summary of the case here.